Pet chew toy kits are often marketed as sets of related objects, such as a retrieval object and a slinging device, or a set of chewable consumable objects of various flavors, or a set of similar objects graduated by size or harness to be deployed in series as an immature animal develops in size or strength. Other pet chew toy kits come in sets of objects of different shapes, sizes, or flavors to extend the attention of the pet as it can select among different objects offering different mouth feels different kinematic behaviors as they are chewed or flung about during play. One design outside the scope of the invention offers a flexible cage containing smaller chew-able objects which can be released when chewing by a pet distorts the cage to allow the trapped articles to escape.
In this specification “chew toy” or “pet chew toy” may refer to a single object or to one object comprised by a set or kit of objects typically sold together as a group of related objects.
The invention relates to chew toys for pets and primarily for dogs. Dogs enjoy chewing and rough-housing with various objects, and may deleteriously exercise their proclivities upon articles such as furniture, shoes, hats, and gloves or the like, worrying and damaging these to the consternation of their owners. A well-designed chew toy will reduce or eliminate unwanted chewing by offering itself as the most attractive item for chewing from among the available objects in its immediate environs.
Common chew toys come in a variety of shapes; most are unitary bodies of a homogeneous material such as ductile plastic or rubber, others are materials such as rope or rawhide knotted at the ends to resemble the condyles of an animal bone. Many chew toys resemble actual bone shapes or stylized bone shapes.
Some materials are impregnated with scent-emitting compounds or tasty compounds to attract the dog and extend its chewing sessions. Other retain the attention of the dog by emitting noises or by moving in ways unexpected by the dog, or entertaining to the dog. Longer chewing sessions with the chew toy extend the duration of time in which other items more precious to its owner are not the target of interest for chewing.
Some chew toys are made of materials which get consumed over time, such as by the effect of dog saliva soaking into and softening them material so that it can be broken in a piecewise manner until consumed entirely. Other designs offer a more durable primary structure, with pockets which hold portions of secondary edible items which may be replaced when consumed, and other designs offer embedded secondary edible items which become exposed for consumption only at the rate that the surrounding primary structure is also consumed.
Dog breeds vary widely in body shapes and size, and the dimensions and contours of mouthparts such as jaw length, widths, radii, location of teeth, and the overall configuration of the snout also vary greatly. Thus there are many toys which are accessible to only the subset of dogs which can grasp them effectively given the shape and size of the snout. For example, a tennis ball cannot be effectively grasped by a dog with a small mouth or a short snout, and short-legged dogs have trouble transporting and playing with a large diameter disc toy such as a Frisbee®. It would therefore be useful to supply a dog chew toy accessible to the widest span of dogs by means of a toy offering zones of various thicknesses so that any dog with any sort of can find at last some portion on the toy available for chewing that comports with the given size, width, and length of its mouth.
Many dogs instinctually enjoy retrieving thrown objects and enjoy tracking, stalking and intercepting various moving objects. It is desirable to provide a tie point for a string or cord so that the toy can be dangled, tugged about, or flung far afield. Dogs also instinctually enjoy contending for possession by “playing tug-of-war” with an object tied on a length of rope.
It is also desirable that the toy can capture the dog's attention for long periods of time, and a strategy to do this is for the toy to offer more than one mode of entertaining chewing experience for the dog, such as having portions of the toy made of different hardnesses, strengths, or toughnesses, or other mouth-feels, so that the palate experience is varied as the dog explores and enjoys different parts of the toy.
Yet another method of capturing the dog's attention is having the toy emit noises or sounds. It is preferable that sound emissions be powered from mechanical energies of the chewing, although other devices use stored energy such as batteries, which disadvantageously mush be replaced.
Toys lacking edible portions are outside the scope of the invention. Also outside the scope of the invention are toys formed to resemble sticks or which are thrown for retrieval games, flying disc toys and boomerang toys which are thrown for retrieval games.
It is also desirable that worn or consumed portions of the toy can be replaced as needed to restore or maintain the toy's full and best effects.